FERGIE'S CRISIS TALKS WITH DAUGHTERS!

THE YORK WOMEN FLEE TO WORK OUT THEIR NEXT MOVE

Sarah Ferguson has publicly stood by Prince Andrew's side ever since accusations were made that the royal sexually assaulted Virginia Roberts Giuffre when she was just 17 years old. Even as the former couple's two daughters distanced themselves from the disgraced Duke of York, Fergie's loyalty remained steadfast.

But it appears Fergie, 62, is now putting distance between her and her ex, right at crunch time for his New York courtroom fight against claims of emotional distress and battery.

On January 1, Fergie was spotted clutching the arms of her girls, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, during an outing with their husbands, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank, in the Swiss resort town of Verbier.

Back in the UK, Prince Andrew hunkered down at his home on the Windsor estate, preparing to face his accuser, Virginia, in a video link hearing to determine whether her case will go to civil trial.